Gerbera plant named ‘Flomite’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Flomite’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely flowering habit; semi-double type inflorescences with ray florets that are orange red in color; and upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Botanical designation: Gerbera jamesonii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘FLOMITE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera jamesonii and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Flomite’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera cultivars with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance and attractive ray and disc floret coloration.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination in March, 2003 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of Gerbera jamesonii ‘Fabio’×‘Cosmo’, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Gerbera jamesonii ‘Autumn’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the spring of 2004.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the summer of 2004 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Flomite’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Flomite’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely flowering habit.     -   3. Semi-double type inflorescences with ray florets that are         orange red in color.     -   4. Upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Fabio’×‘Cosmo’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more compact than plants of         ‘Fabio’×‘Cosmo’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have shorter scapes than plants of         ‘Fabio’×‘Cosmo’.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are orange red in         color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Fabio’×‘Cosmo’ are         yellow in color.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent, ‘Autumn’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more compact than plants of         ‘Autumn’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have shorter scapes than plants of         ‘Autumn’.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are orange red in         color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Autumn’ are orange in         color.     -   Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the         Gerbera jamesonii ‘Everlast Carmine’, not patented. Plants of         the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’ in the         following characteristics:     -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more uniform in growth habit         than plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have semi-double type         inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’ have single         type inflorescences.     -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are red orange in         color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’ are         dark red in color.     -   5. Plants of the new Gerbera have thicker scapes than plants of         ‘Everlast Carmine’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant. This photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Flomite’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in a glass-covered greenhouse during the winter in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 19° C. to 26° C. and night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 18° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were planted in 19-cm containers and had been growing for six months when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flomite’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Fabio’×‘Cosmo’,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Autumn’, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 2.5 weeks at temperatures of             20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About five to six             weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderate branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous semi-double type Gerbera; compact,             upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; arching leaves             arranged in basal rosettes; dense and bushy habit;             moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 63.8 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 69.9 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 30.4 cm.         -   Width.—About 12.6 cm.         -   Shape.—Runcinate; lanceolate to narrowly elliptic in             outline.         -   Apex.—Obtuse.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Pinnately lobed with coarse and irregular sinuses,             lobes divergent; undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Moderately pubescent; woolly.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Between 141A and             143A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Between 137D and             138B. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137A;             venation, close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves, lower             surface: Close to 138A to 138B; venation, close to 144B to             144C.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 9.8 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close             to 148A. Color, lower surface: Close to 144A flushed with             close to 148A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double type inflorescence form with             narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic-shaped ray             florets; solitary inflorescences borne on upright, strong             and relatively short scapes above the foliar plane; ray and             disc florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about four months             after planting and flower from early spring to the end of             the summer in outdoor gardens in The Netherlands. Plants             flower year-round under greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two weeks             on the plant; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about eight open and developing inflorescences per plant at             one time.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.8 cm. Diameter: About             2.7 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 144C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 11.4 cm. Depth (height):             About 3 cm. Diameter of disc: About 4.3 cm. Receptacle             height: About 6 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 8 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 155C.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: Initially upright, then about 75°             from vertical. Length: About 5.1 cm. Width: About 1.3 cm.             Shape: Narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic. Apex:             Emarginate. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; longitudinally ridged.             Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 100 arranged             in about three whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface:             Close to 33A. When opening, lower surface: Close to 29A;             longitudinal stripes, close to 14D. Fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 33A. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to             18A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, fused. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1.7 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 500. Color, immature: Apex:             Close to 42A. Mid-section and base: Close to 29A. Color,             mature: Apex: Close to 23A. Mid-section and base: Close to             18A.         -   Pappus.—Quantity per floret: About 50. Length: About 8 mm.             Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color: Close to             187A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About             120 in about four whorls. Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About             3 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture,             lower surface: Densely tomentose. Color, upper surface:             Close to 143A; apices, close to 144A. Color, lower surface:             Close to 137B.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 46.3 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Angle:             Erect. Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color:             Close to 144A to 144B; towards the apex, close to 137D.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: (present on disc florets             only) Quantity per floret: Two. Filament length: About 7 mm.             Filament color: Close to 155A. Anther shape: Lanceolate.             Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close to 12B.             Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 12A.             Gynoecium: (present on ray and disc florets) Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 1.4 cm. Stigma shape:             Rounded; curved. Stigma color: Close to 10C. Style length:             About 1.3 cm. Style color: Close to 10D; towards the base,             close to 155A. Ovary color: Close to 4D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Gerberas has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera grown     under commercial conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 1° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Flomite’ as illustrated and described. 